eBay Exhaust: Best $100 Ever Spent?!?

I bought a cheap Chinese-manufactured exhaust off of eBay. IT WAS THE BEST $100 I’ve spent on my bike!

The slip-on exhaust muffler looks like a knock-off of a popular high-end Akrapovič brand. Akrapovič is a market-leading manufacturer of premium exhaust systems for motorcycles and performance cars. Their products were WAY out of my price range.

I had resigned my fate to keeping my OEM exhaust muffler…until I found this cheap clone. I knew there was a chance it could be a useless piece of junk. But for less than $100, I figured it was worth testing out. I was pleasantly surprised!

The product I purchased was this “CBR500 CB500X CB500F Slip on Mid Pipe Link Exhaust Muffler Pipe with DB Killer” from an eBay seller named mgod_motor: https://www.ebay.com/itm/123452619440.

Part of my decision to order from this seller was because, unlike others selling similar “look-alike” products from China, he is located in and distributes his items out of Kentucky! Thus, shipping was fast and free. Plus, there was no chance of the items getting held up in customs, or me having to pay a duty tax on them.

Before the sale, I had several questions that Jason at mgod_motor was very helpful and responsive with. I also appreciated that this item included the two key parts that I would have to order separately from other retailers, the Middle Pipe and the Exhaust. I was very pleased with the transaction. And the product arrived very well packaged.

Removal of the old, and installation of the new, was relatively simple. The hanging hardware on the new one was a bit tight. Luckily, my good friend, Mike, who is much more mechanically inclined than I am, helped me with the install. We got it all put together in about an hour, and were out riding with goofy grins on our faces shortly there-after.

I’ve made quite a few upgrades and additions to my Honda CB500X, especially with regards to carrying my camera gear to photo shoots. Now that I’ve been riding with the Ebay Exhaust for about a month, I can honestly say it was one of the best $100 I’ve spent on my bike! The deep, throaty growl has completely transformed this compact motorcycle’s personality. Yet at the same time, it’s not so loud that it’s offensive to my friends and neighbors.

I absolutely love it!!!

Oh Canada!

My personal work always takes a back seat to our client’s work.

This is indeed the way it should be, since we truly have the best clients in the world! Our clients love our fast and efficient deliver of their images. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!

In between assignments, when I have an afternoon off here and there, I work on my travel, nature, wildlife, and fine-art images that are sitting in the archive, waiting for me to bring them to life. Last weekend, Cami and I visited family out of town. During quiet moments in between long walks, late night card games, and delicious meals, I wrapped up editing on the thousands of images I photographed last summer in Canada.

I had traveled to Montreal, on assignment for the incredible folks at the US Grains Council. We absolutely love working for this incredible organization, and encourage you to support them any way you can!

It had been over 25 years since I’d visited Montreal in college. I also had a brief visit there for a TASOK reunion about 15 years ago. But this would be the first time there since the photography world had gone digital. So I decided to spend a few extra days looking for an adventure!

Montreal itself is an incredible city. It’s probably one of my favorites in North America. Like Charleston, the old historic downtown area is quite walk-able. I spent many hours wandering the streets, enjoying the tasty French-Canadian cuisine, and marveling at the incredible architecture…particularly of those ornate cathedrals!

Leaving Montreal, I traveled west in search of wildlife near the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve. I was not disappointed! Next, I headed north towards Parc National du Mont-Tremblent. The town itself is a quaint little tourist stop. But the majestic scenery of the park was surreal. My infra-red camera was perfect for those vistas!

Finally, it was back to Montreal for lunch with my old friend and classmate, Abbas Fazal, then a couple final hours exploring on my way to the airport. Since I hadn’t turned in my rental car yet, I hit up some of the cathedrals along the city outskirts that I couldn’t previously reach on foot…one of which is the oldest in town, built entirely out of wood!

I hope you enjoy these images from my Canadian adventure as much as I enjoyed making them. I hope the wait was worth it!

Bass Harbor Lighthouse

Cami & I just walked in the door from a fantastic and relaxing week-long trek through scenic Maine.  The LIGHTBENDING 411 WORKSHOP at the end of the week went great!  But before I do a full write-up on that, I thought I’d post a few shots from our travels.  We spent several days in Bar Harbor, taking in the hikes and views of Acadia National Park. 

The first morning we were there I woke pre-dawn and drove to Bass Harbor Lighthouse to get a sun-rise shot.  It was cold and windy.  So I set my white-balance to a 4500K to draw out the cool tones and help evoke the mood of the morning.  I have a wonderful Cokin graduated tobacco filter I like using for landscapes.  But unfortunately I didn’t have it with me.  So when I brought the image in to Adobe Lightroom, I created a Virtual Copy of the image, and processed the second one at a much warmer 7000K white balance.  Combining the images in Adobe Photoshop allowed me to duplicate the effect of that graduated filter and brought back the natural color of the rocks while retaining the cool blue tone of the sky that I liked.  I shot this in two vertical frames that were stitched together for the final image.

Gypsy Village in Romania

One day while we were in Romania we visited a Gypsy Village.  It really touched my heart to see the conditions these people live in.  They were so kind and gracious, allowing me to photograph them, photograph their families.  One lady even came up to me and motioned for me to follow her.  We wound our way back through the shacks to HER shack.  It was a humble one-bedroom home…but it was HER home and she wanted her portrait in front of it!  I was honored to oblige.